WATLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Clerk: Colin Vince, 17 Bure Close, Watlington, KING'S LYNN, Norfolk PE33 0TN
MINUTES
Minutes of the Annual meeting of WATLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL held on 5 May 2009
at 7.00pm in Watlington Village Hall.
Present: Cllr Lacey (Chairman); Cllrs Dagnall, Drake, Golding, Leedell, Mack, Miller, Paget, Pike, Rockcliffe and Stevenson.
2 members of the public also attended the meeting.
Apologies for absence: Father James Nolan
MAY 09/1 Election of Chairman of The Council and Declaration of Office
It was proposed by Cllr Rockcliffe, seconded by Cllr Golding, and agreed by Council that Cllr Lacey be elected as Chairman of the Council. The Chairman signed his Declaration of Office.
MAY 09/2 Election of Vice-Chairman of The Council and Declaration of Office
It was proposed by the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Leedell, and agreed by Council that Cllr Golding be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Council. The Vice-Chairman signed her Declaration of Office.
Cllr Rockcliffe, on behalf of the Council, thanked the Chairman and Vice-Chairman for their continued strong support of the Council.
Council agreed that a letter of condolence be sent to former councillor Mr Geoff Beaumont on the death of his wife.
MAY 09/3 Co-option of a New Councillor
Following a secret ballot amongst councillors, Mrs Dawn Drake was co-opted onto the Council. Cllr Drake signed her Declaration of Office.
MAY 09/4 Committee Appointments 2009/2010
The following committee appointments were agreed for 2009/2010:
Planning (5) – Cllrs Dagnall, Drake, Golding, Lacey and Miller.
Community Projects – Cllrs Dagnall, Mack, Paget and Pike.
Environment – Cllrs Dagnall, Golding, Lacey, Leedell and Miller.
Finance – Cllrs Lacey, Leedell, Golding and Rockcliffe.
MAY 09/5 Appointment to Village Hall Management Committee (2)
The following appointments were agreed for 2009/2010: Cllrs Dagnall and Paget.
MAY 09/6 Committee Reports 2009/2010
The following committee reports were received:
Planning Committee
23 applications were considered during the year. Decisions from the Planning Authority during the year resulted in planning permission being given for 5 new dwellings, 12 extensions to dwellings, 3 applications were refused and 3 were withdrawn.
On the Martingales / Coppice site, over 120 properties are now occupied. Concerns still remain over drainage problems, particularly the wish of Persimmon not to have to culvert drains into Fairfield Lane, over the safety of estate roads, which will not be upgraded to adoptable standards until the site work is completed, and the lack of new play equipment, which is due to be installed as part of the planning conditions.
Work has recently started on the Rowan Close site, where the developer has approval for the construction of 15 houses. As part of this scheme a new footpath link from the Medical Centre to Warren Close Play Area and Hawthorn Close will be provided.
The Borough Council has now restarted the process for the new Local Development Framework (LDF). Under the revised Core Policy, Watlington is now one of 37 Key Service Centres, which means that these 37 centres will have to expect some additional housing under the government’s housing targets for West Norfolk. It remains to see how this will be reflected in the draft local spatial distribution plan which is due to go out to public consultation in September / October. The Parish Council has in its submission to the LDF reminded of the extensive development and site approvals that have already taken place in the last two years.
It is expected that the long awaited footway link from the village hall car park to Mill Road will begin in the financial year and work on the new railway station car park is due to start in August. Thanks are extended to Mr Venni for keeping open the extension car parking area during this last year.
Community Projects Committee
Report from Cllr Pike, Chairman of the Committee:
It has been a busy year for the Community Projects Committee, the committee having met on a monthly basis as well as undertaking many site visits. As Council will know the second phase of new play equipment has now been installed and I am pleased to report that it is already being used to its full potential.
We have been successful in our application for grant money for a youth shelter and we are now beginning the planning of additional works such as fencing and additional seating.
A lot of planning and hard work went into the recent Open Forum and the equally hard task has now started in studying the results and preparing a summary / action plan for Council. The Community Projects Committee has worked closely with the Youth Football Club this last year and, of course, more recently with the installation team for the new play equipment.
I should like to thank Brian Toates for being a very active member of the Committee for the last 3 years. Brian has recently decided to step down and I am sure all councillors would wish to join with me with me in expressing their thanks for his long service to the Council. Barbara Church continues to serve on the committee and I thank her for her valuable contribution. Finally, my thanks go to the clerk for all his hard work and guidance.
Environment Committee
Littering in the village remains a problem and the Litter Picker, Amanda Bullock, has been kept fully occupied in her duties. It has to be reported that there has been a major problem of littering around the village pound area and the area around the Skateboard Park, despite both sites having good litter bins. Once again, the Council employed an additional litter picker for 3 months during the summer, which proved a great success in reducing the litter problem in and around the Recreation Ground.
Dog fouling is still prevalent, despite an awareness campaign through extra notices around the village and regular mentions in The Gossip. This last year the Council spent over £2550 on litter and dog waste removal, this sum including £460 on a trade waste bin, which the Council needs to have to meet it’s legal requirements for the removal of street litter.
The Glebe Field rental has been increased from £380 to £502 for the remaining 5 years of the lease. The football pitch has seen much usage during the year and the area remains a favourite site for walking.
This last year has seen a demand for garden allotments in the village and at present a suitable site is being sought to meet a demand for up to 23 plots. A meeting was recently held will those registered to explain the current situation.
Once again the Christmas Tree was a great success.
Finance Committee
The Precept for 2009/10 was fixed at £27,700 a 0% rate increase, but an increase in revenue as additional housing in the village is completed. The accounts for 2007/2008 were approved by the district auditor without comment. The Council made grants and donations available totalling over £2100 during the year, including £1000 to the Millennium Green Trust, £440 for the upkeep of the churchyard, £200 for the 2009 Watstock Event and £175 to the local Citizens Advice. There were no hardship payments from the Edward Shouldham Charity Fund during the year.
MAY 09/7 Reports from Village Organisations
The following reports from village organisations were received:
Village Hall Management Committee
The following report was given by Cyril Pike, Chairman of the Village Hall:
The charity maintains the village hall for the benefit of Watlington and surrounding communities. The village hall is in demand for private parties, wedding receptions, shows, fund raising activities and meetings. The policy of keeping charges for community groups as low as possible has enabled 17 groups to meet regularly throughout the year. In addition a Baby Clinic and dancing school use the facility regularly. Monthly occupancy rates for the main hall are often over 90% in term-time.
The continuing help of trustees, volunteers and the employment of two part-time cleaners keeps the hall in excellent condition. The charity is in a healthy position financially. The Access Fund, accumulated from surpluses in previous years, was used to lay a tarmac surface on part of the car park. The floor in the main hall was sanded and resealed and is now as good as new.
At the AGM last November John Church stepped down as chairman and Cyril Pike was elected chairman, with Brian Toates as Vice-Chair, Colin Vince as Treasurer, Mike Cook as Bookings Secretary, Joy Stephens as Minutes Secretary and Barbara Church as Events and Fund Raising Officer. The Committee is actively seeking a Correspondence Secretary. Monthly officers meetings are now held in addition to the full management meetings. Presently the officers are looking at ways to improve the entrance to the car park, with a possible garden – a lawned area with low shrubs. A sub-committee has been formed to look at green issues such as heating, reducing the carbon footprint and for the Village Hall to act as an energy beacon in the community.
The Committee actively supported the Village Festival last year and is lending its full support to Watstock 09. A keep fit class for the more mature has recently started and is proving successful. We are hoping that the table tennis club may restart in the near future.
Parochial Church Council
The following report was read on behalf of Father James Nolan:
The PCC met 4 times throughout the year. Main items for discussion included how we raised the £28,000 as our contribution towards the £47,000 it costs each year to have a priest and house him in the parish. We also considered Deanery reorganisation which has to be in place by 2017, the thorny question should the Church of England have women bishops and how it was going to keep traditional orthodox priests like myself in the Church of England.
We considered the quinquennial inspection report on the church and the £75,000 needed for repairs over the next 5 years. Smartwater Technology, a forensic system, was introduced to protect from lead theft.
All general and deanery synod matters were discussed. Fund raising events for the world’s poorest poor and for church funds were planned. We received plans for the Ely Diocese 900 celebrations. English Heritage matters, Fair Trade status, Ancient Registers, as well as the day to day matters concerning our family group of parishes, were also discussed.
Watlington Information Centre
The following report was given by Colin Vince, Chairman of the Information Centre:
This has been a mixed year for the Information Centre. Whilst finances remain healthy, thanks to support both from the Village Hall Committee for premises costs and from the Borough Council for internet costs through the Community Information Point scheme, the number of visitors to the centre has dropped considerably and in the middle part of the year there was a shortage of volunteers to maintain a 3 mornings a week opening pattern.
The volunteer situation has now much improved but the committee is concerned that enthusiasm for volunteering will diminish as the number of callers falls off; this fall reflecting the increased use and availability of computer facilities in the home. A volunteers meeting has been called to discuss this issue.
Millennium Green Trust
The following report was received from Mrs Kate Carpenter, Chairman of the Millennium Green Trust:
The manicured area has been cut under contract by Cyril Pike. Our thanks go to him, to Eileen Haynes for looking after the Petanque Pitch and to Geoff Beaumont from trimming the little hedge.
During the year Simon Paget has cut the grass edging, the paths and the maze and Simon and Cyril have strimmed the amphitheatre. The main meadow was cut and bailed by Tony Stratton in time for the village festival as agreed last year. In the end the Jazz concert was held indoors, but a concert is scheduled for this year. The boundary and ha-ha hedge were trimmed in autumn by Cyril and Simon, the job being completed in a day thanks to Cyril’s contract hedge trimmer.
The cowslips in the maze area looked beautiful this year; Simon delaying cutting this area for a month until flowering was over. Phil Rumball found the perfect edging tool to purchase to clear the grass from the pathways. Phil and Geoff have made themselves responsible for keeping this area tidy. As the bog area is established enough we have been cutting the grass path and bank. Because it looks so nice in its natural state we have decided to hold fire on the boardwalk.
Because the waste bins were repaired and are still functioning, we are not looking to replace them just yet.
The memorial bench for Stuart Barnes was provided by his parents and friends overlooking the maze. It was thought a litter bin would be useful but this doesn’t seem to be needed at present.
Despite the jazz concert and picnic being moved to the village hall due to the cold weather, a bric-a-brac stall was held by the trustees on the village festival Sunday. Peter loaned a large gazebo which proved to be an ideal shelter for the stall and when offered we decided to buy it for future use. Not a lot of profit was made, but this went into petty cash and will provide fuel for the mower.
The Christmas Dinner, organised by Geoff, was again very much enjoyed by all who attended. Thanks were given to Jim for his support via his charity box and a toast drunk to Simon, who was serving in Afghanistan. A raffle for the social club’s children’s party was held. My thanks are extended to all trustees and volunteers for their efforts this last year and I hope they will continue to give their time and energy in the future.
Sports & Social Club / Payment of Peppercorn Rent
The following report was given by Mrs Dawn Drake:
The Sports and Social Club has had a busy year, with membership having risen to over 280, with new membership from the Martingales Estate. The club is looking forward to a good bowls season and this last year the club has been running 2 adult football teams. The Peppercorn Rent for 2009/2010 was paid in 2008.
Gossip
The following report was given by Brenda Leedell from the Gossip editorial team:
Another successful year for the Gossip, our eleventh. Advertising space is very much in demand and we often have a waiting list of advertisers so as to maintain a balance between advertising and articles and other contents.
The number of copies printed has had to be increased to 1,1150 this year as the number of new properties in the village increases and the last three issues have had to be increased to a 36 page magazine to allow for the regular contributors. This has increased are costs but finances are healthy with a good reserve.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 7.33 pm.
SIGNED
Chairman: Clerk:
15 June 2009